


Whatever Lila Wants

by Dream_Wreaver



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, I am bought with fantastic art, Song Inspired, aged up a few years, innuendos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-15 01:41:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18064154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dream_Wreaver/pseuds/Dream_Wreaver
Summary: She had come here to do one thing and one thing only. That thing had not been to tango with the elder brother of someone who hated her





	Whatever Lila Wants

**Author's Note:**

> Never make jokes when friends with talented people, because they convince you to write fluff over the 300 other WIPs you have. Song rec here is the eponymous 'Whatever Lola Wants' I prefer/recommend the version with Carmen McRae, but whatever floats your boat. Enjoy!

The Louvre was having its annual charity ball. And as usual, to make money you had to spend money and the museum had certainly spared no expense throwing this shindig. Three years, three more years she’d been stuck here in Paris. Three more years of unsuccessfully trying to ruin the life of one Marinette Dupain-Cheng after the girl had brushed off her oh so generous offer. Three years of mitigating successes. At first, it had been relatively easy, especially with Hawkmoth’s assistance in the matter. He gave her superpowers, she nearly succeeded on many occasions. And then, Lila hadn’t known what had happened, but he just… stopped. No one knew what happened, and whether or not that stupid bug and cat team knew the kept tight-lipped about the whole affair.

Speaking of the super-zeroes, they hadn’t been able to make an appearance tonight. Too bad, so sad, what a tragedy. The blonde Bourgeois girl was here with her two little boyfriends in tow, how her father handled having a scandal like that attached to her name Lila didn’t know. And it seems Alix had invited the whole class to this shindig. Well, the whole class  _ except _ Lila. Apparently, there had come a point where the pink-haired girl had stopped trusting Lila’s words. And with her distrust, so too had come those of her own paramours. Jeez, did anyone in this country believe in monogamy anymore? Alix was chatting with the jock boy and the nerd boy, while another athlete -this one a redhead- was standing with an arm on Alix’s shoulder. The girls were both in dresses, though Alix’s was clearly a higher class version of a skater dress. The boys were in suits. But Lila didn’t care about any of them, no, she had only her prey in her eye tonight. Thankfully her diplomat parents had already scored an invitation to tonight’s party, since there was no way Lila would have ever accepted a pity invitation from Kubdel. No, Lila was here for one reason and one reason only, to seduce Adrien Agreste away from his girlfriend.

Fortune really had to favor fools, it was the only way a complete loser like Marinette Dupain-Cheng had landed herself in a position as his significant other. Adrien deserved a girl of a much higher quality than the little bakery brat. Adrien deserved her. Lila had gone all out with her outfit this evening, the cocktail dress was as dark a blue as the night sky, and just as bejeweled. The neckline -if one could really call it that- revealed both her sternum and a generous amount of cleavage until it tied around her neck. The skirt clung to the bottoms of her thighs, and from the back it reached no higher than the curve of her waist. When paired with her black heels and smoky makeup and the hair she’d taken all ties out of to put into luxurious curls pulled into a ponytail so as to reveal the low back; it was clearly a bid and a recipe for getting laid. Which Lila intended to do, if only out of spite for the girl who had stolen what had belonged to her.

As of yet Lila had been relaxing against one of the walls, away from anything priceless of course, and nursing a drink she’d pilfered from the champagne glass display. Of course, at this kind of party, everyone was drinking unless they were incredibly small children. Of which, there were none. She’d been keeping an eye out for Adrien since she’d first arrived. Naturally the Agrestes would be fashionably late. That only made sense. Speaking of making sense, and things that didn’t, Gabriel Agreste coming out to an event. He’d been doing that more and more in the intervening years, though he still didn’t appear quite that comfortable around large groups of people. He was placing a supportive hand on his son’s shoulder, looking at him with paternal pride.

Almost as shocking as it had been at the fashion show sometime ago. His assistant, the name of which was not nearly important enough for Lila to remember, was mirroring the action on Marinette. Speaking of the little gnat, she was dressed in all black with green accents, while adrien was dressed in black and red. What, were they trying to pay homage to the super dorks? How pathetic. Meanwhile, Lila caught an eye of the purple and gray suit Gabriel Agreste was wearing -jeez, professional fashion designers could make anything otherwise stupid looking not, couldn’t they?- and had to do a double take. For a moment, the image of another man had superimposed himself over Gabriel. But… no, Lila determinedly shook her head, it just couldn’t be. The assistant was dressed in dark blue, but with highlights of a vibrant pink, and some purple, here and there. Good lord, she looked like a peacock, though that might have been the effect she was going for. While keeping an eye on Adrien and Marinette as they nervously fidgeted, Lila noticed the oddly casual touches between the so called secretary and their boss. On the arm, or the shoulder. Interesting, she wondered if Adrien knew, but more importantly, if he didn’t. And if he didn’t, how she could implicate Marinette knowing and deliberately not telling him into it.

A plan was already formulating in her head. And as she focused single-mindedly on reaching Adrien and spinning her web around him she wound up bumping into someone.

“Oh, my apologies,” she said quickly, not even looking at her unintended victim, still trying to make sure Adrien hadn’t vanished from her line of sight, “If you could please excuse me-”

“It’s not a prob-” the voice had begun replying, but had cut itself short. Pity, it was a nice voice, from an aesthetic sense anyways, “Wait a moment, are you Lila Rossi?”

That got her attention. More people knew her parents than hers. She turned her gaze for only a moment to find a well dressed, slightly older man, in a suit. Thing was though, he looked slightly uncomfortable. In the suit, but not talking to her. As a matter of fact, he looked… almost angry at her. Though she couldn’t imagine why, having never met the man before just now.

“Maybe I am,” she said evasively, “That would all depend on how and why you want to know.”

“Don’t worry about how I know that,” he told her, “You know, I was told you were pretty,”

Lila felt herself flush vainly under the praise, “Why thank-”

But he had to ruin it before she could even finish the pleasantry, “Tell me, are the lies you spit out just as pretty as your face? Or does that do all the heavy lifting for you?”

That gave her pause. And this irritated twitch in her eye as she tried to retain her cordial facade. If only because an outburst in the middle of a fancy event was a low even she wouldn’t sink to, “Pardon?” she pressed.

The man gave a calculating, if impassive look at her, “You heard me,” was his answer.

“I can’t say that I haven’t ever lied,” Lila carefully picked her way around the question, “I mean, we were all children once, right? But I can say that I typically don’t lie without good reason.”

“Like faking an injury and manipulating seats so you can get closer to the boy you fancy? Is that what you would call a good reason?”

Lila froze. How on earth did he know about that, “And where, might I ask, are you getting such information from?”

“Alix,”

Lila had to refrain from rolling her eyes there. Naturally it would be the little Kubdel punk. But she could play it off. Lila folded one of her arms across her chest and rested the other atop it, tapping her lips as though in thought, “Hmm… Alix, Alix… nope, doesn’t ring a bell I’m afraid.”

“You’re in the same class,” the man insisted.

“Oh! That Alix,” Lila said with false epiphany, “And how do you know Alix? Are you her boyfriend? In that case, I’d have to ask if you can really trust anything she tells you, especially when I’m pretty sure she’s cheating on you.”

The man folded his arms, “Oh really,” he seemed amused, like he didn’t believe her either.

Fine, time for the final nail in the coffin. Lila crossed one hand over the other side of her mouth and moved in closer, as though confiding a secret in this stranger, “With three other people, no less.”

And then; the man began to laugh, “Well, that  _ would _ be something to worry about, wouldn’t it? If I were her boyfriend. Thank all the Egyptian gods I’m  _ not _ , however. I’m her brother.”

“Her brother?”

“Jalil,” he introduced himself, “Nice to finally make your acquaintance, Miss Rossi,” he took her hand and bowed over it, placing a kiss to its top and shooting her a rather spiteful smirk. Lila had been caught in her own lie, and by this geek of all people!

Lila snatched back her hand. Well, if he already knew, there was no reason to keep up any pretenses. She allowed all seething cattiness she usually kept well below the surface to bubble up, putting as much venom as she could muster in her tone as she rejoinded with, “Oh really? And what has your  _ darling _ little sister told you about me?”

“That you lie, a lot,”

“Hmph,” Lila chuckled, once again resting one arm atop the one crossed over her body. Only this time she made sure to situate that arm so as to emphasize her breasts. The back hand of the resting arm she delicately tucked the finger tips under her chin. A coy, devious look settled itself on her face, “I only tell people what they want to hear,” she offered, throwing out that resting hand until it was palm up, as though asserting ignorance as she added, “Is that really so wrong?”

“People don’t like to be made fools of,” Jalil countered.

“Are they really being made fools of if they don’t even realize it?” Lila parried.

“So long as you know it, they are,”

“I really don’t think that’s how it works,”

“It  _ is _ how it works and you know it. Do you really enjoy having to lie to people all the time like that?”

“Why are you so concerned?” she shot at him.

“Doesn’t it get tiring? Constantly having to maintain a facade in front of everyone?”

It was a question she herself often had to face when she moved countries and was yet again all alone. But it wasn’t a question she wanted to face here, now, or ever. And she realized she’d let this man distract her away from her original goal, finding Adrien and getting him to dump Marinette. Combined the the annoyance he had just proved himself to be and,

“You’re too noisy, and too nosy,” Lila shot as she turned on her heel and made to stalk away, “I’ll bid you good evening Mr. Kubdel.”

“What’s the rush Miss Rossi?” Jalil asked as he caught her arm, “Please, call me Jalil, Mr. Kubdel is my father, after all.”

“I really,  _ should _ go,” Lila replied through gritted teeth.

“Oh but won’t you join me for a dance?” Jalil pressed.

“I really don’t think I should,” Lila said as she was pulled to him and had her arm tucked into his.

“I insist,” Jalil answered her, already leading her to the dance floor where the last strains of the current dance were ringing through the air.

“Let me go this instant,” Lila hissed as he dragged her along.

“Now why would I want to do that?” Jalil countered, “Especially when I’m only trying to help at this stage.”

“But-” she began to protest, but Jalil stopped her,

“Ah, ah, ah,” he chided, “We wouldn’t want to cause a scene, now would we?”

Lila furtively glanced around, there were already eyes on them, she really had no choice if she wanted to remain relatively inconspicuous. But still, “Let me go!” she whispered into his ear.

But to her surprise, Jalil only smirked. The dance floor was clearing for some reason, “Whatever you say Lola,”

Lola? But her name was Lila. He had already dropped her arm and was walking away. The crowd had formed a large circle, giving them room but ultimately boxing them in as well. And then she heard it, the opening beats. A tango, and not just any tango. One she’d heard as a child. Jalil turned and looked at her, before striding over once again, taking up the frame, “Think you can handle it, or are you going to make up more lies and run away?”

The challenge in his eyes was a taunt, a temptation. She knew it and she took it anyways, “Bring it,” she hissed.

Because it was a live band, there was no vocal accompaniment. But the implication was clear all the same. She was the seductress, but she was also a puppet on his strings. He led her across the floor like an expert. My, my, wasn’t this supposed geek full of surprises? But Lila would not be so easily forced into submission, so she would throw in extras, a kick here, an extension of her leg there, adding to the show. And she realized she’d been goaded into putting on a show for the sake of the benefactors. Oh well, if she was going to put on a show, then she’d put on the best damn show these rich idiots had ever seen. Jalil’s hands, as the dance demanded, were all over her body. And the heat was searing through the thin material, the few times it futilely attempted to protect her. But thanks to the very nature of the dress, his hands were on her bare skin. Lila hated to admit it, even to herself, but it felt good. Still, turnabout was fair play, and since the suit he was wearing left very little exposed, she contented herself with winding her body around his. Sliding a leg between his thighs, twining one of her feet around his calf, allowing the the hitch around his hip during some of the more intricate, and intimate maneuvers. When they were performing a bit of simple step, she purposefully put extra swing in her hips, knowing he could feel it from where his hand was positioned.

And then, the big finish; he dipped her and threw her head and her arm back, the other one clutching desperately at the nape of his neck. Her leg was hitched tight around his hip, and for a moment it felt like something had notched into place. But only for a moment. Her curls felt heavy as they swept near the floor, and Lila purposefully hooded her gaze as she looked back up at him, smirking even as her chest was heaving from the exertion. Jalil’s returning gaze was dark and almost predatory. In a motion so fluid it had to have been practiced, he returned her upright, spun her under his arm, and placed a kiss against the back of her hand again. Lila was so shocked she didn’t even register the sounds of applause for a good five seconds. She took a small curtsy for her performance and then slowly wandered off the dance floor.

Air. She needed air. Her head felt heavy and her knees felt weak and her mind felt very, very foggy. To be quite honest Lila hadn’t felt like she’d been dancing for the past few minutes. No, she felt like she’d been doing… something else entirely. Her mind unhelpfully supplied the what, the who rather, she’d been doing, but Lila refused to listen. Her heart was still pounding even as she steadied her breathing, but it had to be from the exertion. Lila wouldn’t allow it to be anything else. But the burning, she still felt the burning. And she wondered, what did this mean? Could this… could this really be…?

All her life, she had heard of love. And as she’d gotten older she’d been taught about desire. But desire was supposed to go hand in hand with love was it not? The reason she desired Adrien was because she loved him, that was how it worked. But was that the desire they had spoken of when they spoke of it in conjunction with love? There was a truth Lila had to acknowledge, she desired Adrien because she felt entitled to him, did she like who he was as a person at all?

“Lila!” the sound of her name being called snapped her out of her stupor. In her haste to get away she’d run into the people she’d been looking for not ten minutes ago. Well, one of them anyways. The other three were kind of incidental.

The one who had called her name was Marinette. Adrien, what looked like Kagami, and… some boy with dyed hair, painted nails, piercings and and discomfort at the suit he was wearing, were standing in a group beside her. Despite their established rivalry, Marinette had mellowed out even more so once she had gotten together with Adrien. And the happiness, the admiration in her eyes, it was genuine. Marinette rushed over to Lila,

“That was amazing!” she exclaimed, “I didn’t know you could dance like that!”

“I, um,” Lila was so muddled that she couldn’t come up with a retort, veiled or otherwise, “It never really came up.”

“You should have told us,” Marinette insisted, “It’s really, super cool. Do you think you could teach me how to dance like that some time?”

“I… I don’t know, I’d have to see how busy my schedule is,”

“That really was amazing Lila,” Adrien added, “Did you practice that with Jalil?”

“No,” Lila shook her head, “It just… came naturally I guess?”

“It really was incredible, don’t you think Kagami?”

The girl, who honestly could have been a twin for Marinette, was silent and impassive a moment. Then she sighed and let a small smile cross her lips, “Well done Lila.”

“Is this Lila?” the boy asked, “Nice job, I’m Luka, by the way.”

He stuck out a hand, which Lila took. They shook before he released it. Lila spent a moment staring at his hand. Cold, his touch had been cold.

“Are you alright Lila?” Marinette asked, getting even closer, “You seem a little… out of it,”

“Huh? What?” then the question registered, “Oh no, I’m fine,” she put on a fake smile, “I just need a little air is all. I’ll… I’ll see you guys around, alright?”

Before they could answer she rushed off again, this time not stopping until she was outside the building. But she couldn’t help what she had seen. Desire, she’d seen it everywhere. The tempered flame resting behind Marinette and Adrien’s eyes that spoke of innocence and a yearning barred only by innocence, the smoldering embers between Luka and Kagami that spoke of temporary satiation but promised more at the slightest opportunity. She saw it between Gabriel and his assistant, a persistent yearning and longing for some solitude with one another, one of desires left too long repressed and unassuaged. And was the same sensation she’d felt after dancing with Jalil. Was this desire? Real desire?

The night air was a sting against the cloudy, heat inducing thoughts that were running through her mind. But it did very little to provide any other relief. Her skin was still hot, and the normally refreshing temperature instead felt more like a tease. It was a relief, but not the kind of relief she wanted right now. And because it wasn’t, it was more frustrating than anything. Lila wanted to whine, and throw a tantrum. Why wasn’t this working?

“So, this is where you ran off to,” she heard his voice, and suddenly he was there behind her.

“Does it matter?” Lila asked, bracing herself against the railing, “Why were you even looking for me?”

“The benefactors wanted to express their admiration to my dance partner, and I figured someone as vain as you might appreciate the attention.”

Well, if that wasn’t a sting, “Well if I’m so vain why did you want to dance with me?”

“Call it a whim, if you like,” Jalil replied, and she could hear the shrug in his voice. He really didn’t know, did he? “Does it really matter? You got to show off, and the museum got more money because of it. I suppose I also went looking for you so I could say thank you,”

“You’re thanking me for something you bullied me into?”

“You could have made us both look like fools and played it off,” Jalil countered, “Alix told me, you’re a good liar. No one would have blamed you,”

Lila scoffed, “That’s what you think,” she turned around and braced herself against the balcony, “I’m the daughter of diplomats, I’m supposed to be worldly and cultured and know these sorts of things.”

“Is that why you lie?” Jalil asked, “Because you’re under so much stress from all the expectations surrounding you?”

“I told you,” Lila countered, “I like making people feel good, so I tell them what they want to hear. It’s nothing more than that,”

“So why,” Jalil parried, “Do I  _ not _ believe you?”

“Because you know I’m already a liar?” Lila offered, “I can’t say I would know.”

“I think it’s because of something more than that,” Jalil remarked, “But hey, if you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine.”

“Even if it  _ was _ more than that, which it isn’t by the way, why would I want to tell you?” Lila spat at him, “I barely know you, and you think you can psychoanalyze me like some Freudian-educated bastard?”

“First of all, I’m a historian, not a psychologist,” Jalil corrected her, “Second of all, Freud is a bastard no matter what field of study he’s invoked in. Third, I’m just trying to understand why someone like you would feel the  _ need _ to lie. You more than proved yourself out on the dance floor. You’ve got skills and talent, beauty and personality, you don’t need to lie to make yourself more appealing; that’s all I’m saying.”

That gave her pause, and then that old sly look returned to her eyes, “So,” she drawled as she shot him a sidelong glance, “You think I’m appealing,”

“Don’t let it go to your head,” Jalil warned, “It doesn’t mean anything.”

“Oh  _ doesn’t it _ ?” Lila pressed, heaving herself up and getting close to him, all for the sake of irritating him of course. She trailed her fingers along his chest, he’d shed his jacket and was now in the button down and waistcoat.

“And what about you?” Jalil asked, grabbing her wrist and holding it firmly. The heat from his hand to her skin was scalding, “Don’t think I didn’t see that look you shot me at the end of the dance.”

“That was a look of victory, nothing more,” Lila dismissed the notion, shaking her arm a little, but ineffectually, though she’d never admit she wasn’t really trying to get away.

“Liar,”

“Yes, yes I am,” Lila smirked, “And isn’t that the fun part? I’m always lying, even when I’m telling the truth.”

“You find me attractive,”

“No I don’t,”

“I think you do,”

“I think you’re delusional,”

“Shall we test that theory then?” and before she could come up with a retort, his lips were on hers.

Lila had kissed boys before. Hell, during her little stint as Chameleon she’d kiss anyone she could get her lips on. But this, it had never felt like this. For a nerd, he was strong, and he held her. Those burning hands were on her again; her heart began to throb, her knees felt weak, she melted into it and slowly, helpless to resist but attempting to anyways, her hands rose and wrapped themselves around him. They kissed until her lungs burned, begged, yearned for air. And when they broke apart, it was only to pant like dogs in heat. Jalil still held her upright, her legs having given out from under her at some point, his arms like bands around her. Lila kept her gaze on the ground, on the city around them, anywhere but his face. She didn’t want to see the smirk she somehow  _ knew _ was there. Her chest was still firm against his own, and more of that heat burned through her skin through the thin material of her dress.

“This doesn’t prove anything,” she huffed, willing strength back into her limbs and breaking away from him fully, “I still hate you.”

“Hatred is a passion,” Jalil waxed, “And one I’m more than willing to explore if you are.”

Lila made the mistake of looking at him. His hair was tousled, his button down rumpled. There were still remnants of her lipstick smeared against his mouth. He rolled up his sleeves to reveal his forearms and Lila’s mouth watered. No, no! She would not give in.

“You can do it by yourself,” Lila snarked.

“And I have, many times before,” he remarked without shame, “But you’re right, I’ll probably end up exploring all by myself. The question is, will you?”

Lila blinked, “What?”

“You know exactly what I’m referring to, you’re a smart girl after all. How old are you again?”

“Almost eighteen,”

Jalil paused at that answer. And he lifted up her chin and studied her seriously for a moment. 

“Almost makes a big difference,” he told her, letting her go and turning away from her.

“And if I said… I was curious?” Lila pressed, stepping closer to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Find out what you like, first,” he advised her, “When the time comes, I’d be more than willing to show you. The question is, can your hatred last that long?”

“You’d be surprised at how good I am at holding grudges.”

“How inspiring,” Jalil remarked.

Lila sighed, “Even if you weren’t… being responsible and…” she tried to suppress the disgust she felt at the phrase, “A good person, I don’t think I would. I’m just… I’m a lot of things, but I’m not that kind of girl.” Though she’d been more than willing to throw her body away if it either got her Adrien or broke up him and Marinette.

Jalil was silent another moment, and then she heard a breath of laughter, “You know, for once, I believe you.”

Lila stared at him another moment, “Well then,”

“Goodnight, Miss Rossi.”

“Goodnight, Jalil.”

When Lila collapsed into her bed that night she spent a good portion of time staring into the dark void of her ceiling, covering her eyes with her hands and pressing down hard, trying to find where her cunning and common sense had gone. And even still, she could feel that heat, lingering over her skin.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed that. Thanks so much for reading and I'll see you all next time


End file.
